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The present invention relates to tobacco products, and more particularly to a cigar shell or tube that enables an end user or consumer to prepare a custom cigar.
The variety, quality and size of ready-made cigars satisfy the majority of the public.
However, a small segment of connoisseurs insist that nothing can compare with the taste and smell of custom-blended tobacco products. These knowledgeable individuals are very selective in the manner their cigars are rolled and in the grade of tobacco used.
A still smaller segment of cigar aficionados prefers to roll their own cigars. They buy tobacco leaves or cigar wrappings and use their preferred brand of crushed tobacco. Some people buy inexpensive cigars, cut them with a sharp blade along the side and carefully pry the cut cigar open. The innermost layers are then removed and substituted with a favorite brand of crushed tobacco, which may come from cigarettes or bulk tobacco blend. The user then brings the cut edges of the cigar together, closing the outer layers of the cigar over the xe2x80x9cstuffing.xe2x80x9d The edges are then sealed with a liquid or honey, and a new cigar is ready for smoking.
Some reports indicate that the roll-your-own tobacco market is flourishing. In some countries, the roll-your-own products now hold a substantial share of the tobacco market, and their consumers represent more than 10% of the smoking population. This may be explained by the ability of a consumer to create a tailor-made product, as opposed to commercially available types of cigars.
A disadvantage of the existing method of making such custom-made cigars is that a consumer has to be skillful in the rolling of cigars, that is to have a certain finger dexterity, which would allow him to make the cigar shell without crushing the tobacco leaves. Inexperienced people often become frustrated when the finished product collapses because the cigar was not properly rolled.
The present invention contemplates provision of a hollow tobacco tube or shell that enables an end user or consumer to fabricate a custom-made cigar. The present invention discloses a method of making the shell and a packaged tobacco product that enables a consumer or end user to add his or her own tobacco in the making of a custom cigar.
The present invention provides an improved shell for fabricating and making custom made rolls of tobacco such as cigars, and a method of making such shells that includes preferably tobacco, preferably tobacco leaves. The sheet of material is then moistened with a liquid. The sheet of material is then rolled into a tube shaped shell or tube that has a longitudinal bore, a slit for adding material to the bore, and a pair of edges that can be moved apart so that tobacco fill material can be added to the bore via the slit. As part of the method, the shaped tube is packaged for sale to a consumer without filling the tube bore with tobacco fill material. In other words, the tube shaped shell can be completely empty or partially filled. A consumer or end user can construct a cigar that is unique and personal by enabling the end user to add her own favorite tobacco to the tube or shell bore.
The method of the present invention thus enables an end user that purchases the packaged, shaped tubes to make his or her own cigars with a selected, custom tobacco filler material. The method preferably includes the use of a liquid that includes flavor or flavoring. The liquid can be, in whole or in part, water, alcohol, solvent, oil, propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, glycerin, benzyl alcohol as examples.
The liquid can be flavored with a flavor such as for example vanilla, honey, berry, chocolate, peach, champagne, cognac, and/or menthol.
As an alternate method, the cigar can be constructed by providing a sheet of material that includes tobacco, rolling the sheet of material into a shaped tube that has a longitudinal bore, a slit for adding material to the bore, and a pair of edges that can be moved apart so that the tobacco fill material can be added to the bore via the slit. The shaped tube can then be moistened with a liquid. The shaped tube is then packaged for sale to a consumer without filling the tube bore with tobacco fill material, thus enabling an end user to make a custom cigar by filling the shaped tube with selected fill material.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for making a tobacco shell.
It is another object of the invention to provide a method of making a shell suitable for use in rolling a custom-made cigar.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method of making a shell for a custom-rolled cigar.
These and other objects of the invention are achieved through a provision of a shell that eliminates some steps in the making of a xe2x80x9croll-your-ownxe2x80x9d tobacco product. In another method, wrapping moistened tobacco leaves around a cylindrical form casing forms the shell. The leaves are then allowed to dry, and the shell is ready for sale to consumers. After the form casing is removed, the consumer can fill the shell with a favorite blend of tobacco.
With the method of the present invention, the tube that is formed preferably has a generally cylindrical shape. With the alternate method, the sheet of material can be single or multiple layered and comprised entirely of tobacco leaves, or can be a combination of tobacco leaves and other material, which are preferably combustible material(s).
The sheet of material preferably includes a plurality of edges and two of the edges are brought together to define a slit there between that communicates with the bore to which a selected tobacco filler material can be added by the consumer/end user.
The method can provide the step of packaging a plurality of the shaped tubes for sale to consumers without filling the tubes with the tobacco fill material. This embodiment provides a shaped tube of generally cylindrically shape and enables a consumer to remove one of the tubes at a time from the packaging, fill it with a selected tobacco fill material, and then form a cigar for smoking.
Another method of constructing a cigar includes the steps of: 1) providing a sheet of material that includes at least in part, tobacco; 2) rolling that sheet of material into a shaped tube that has a longitudinal bore, a slit for adding material to the bore, and edges that can be moved apart so that tobacco fill material can be added to the bore via the slit; 3) moistening the shaped tube with liquid; and 4) the shaped tube can be packaged for sale to consumers and without filling the tube bore with a tobacco fill material. The liquid can be added to the tube after it is shaped.
The present invention provides yet another method of constructing a cigar that includes the steps of: 1) providing a flexible sheet of material that includes tobacco leaves; 2) rolling that flexible sheet of material into an unfilled, shaped tube that has a longitudinal bore, a longitudinal slit for adding material to the bore, and a pair of edges that can be moved apart so that tobacco fill material can be added to the bore via the slit; 3) moistening the tube with liquid; 4) packaging the shaped tube for sale to consumers without filling the shaped tube bore with tobacco fill material as it is packaged. The shaped, packaged unfilled tube can then be distributed to consumer/end users as part of the method.
The flavors are preferably added to either the shaped tube (or the sheet of material that includes tobacco) with a liquid. This flavored liquid is typically applied to the tobacco sheet or to the shaped tube at levels of between about 0.01 to 45% by weight, and preferably between about 0.1% to 10% by weight.
This flavored liquid is typically applied to the sheet of material that includes tobacco (or to the shaped tube) with a carrier liquid such as ethyl alcohol, propylene glycol, water or the like. Glycerin and invert sugar can also be used as a carrier. Some humectants can also be used, however, little or no humectants can be used.
In general terms, the flavors can be provided by botanical extracts, essential oils, or artificial flavor chemicals, any one of which or a combination thereof mixed with a carrying solvent such as propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, glycerin, benzyl alcohol, or other alcohol, for example. Other flavors can include cocoa, licorice, coffee, vanilla or other botanical extracts. Essentials oils can be used such as wine essence, cognac oil, rose oil, mate or other oils.
An object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a first layer of material; (b) a second layer of material in contact with the first layer of material; (c) the first and second layers of material having a memory wherein the layers tend to curve; (d) the first and second layers forming a cylinder with a bore and having opposed edge portions that can be separated apart to open the bore; (e) the bore being less than about twenty five percent filled with a tobacco filler product; and (f) the cylinder being packaged.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a layer of material having a memory wherein the layer tends to curve; (b) the layer forming a cylinder having a longitudinal bore and a plurality of edge portions; (c) the bore being less than about twenty five percent filled with a tobacco filler product; and (d) the cylinder being packaged.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a sheet of material having a memory wherein the sheet tends to curve; (b) the sheet forming a generally cylindrical spiral with spaced apart edges; and (c) the cylindrical spiral being packaged.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a sheet having a memory wherein the sheet tends to curve; (b) the sheet being in the shape of a parallelogram before curving; (c) the sheet forming a longitudinal spiral tube after curving having a tube volume, the tube volume being less than about twenty five percent filled with a tobacco filler product; and (d) the longitudinal spiral tube being packaged.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a first sheet; (b) a second sheet in contact with the first sheet; (c) the first sheet having a memory wherein the sheet tends to roll up; (d) the first and second sheets forming a longitudinal spiral tube having a tube volume; and (e) the longitudinal spiral tube being packaged with less than about twenty five percent filling of a tobacco fill material in the tube volume.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a first sheet; (b) a second sheet in contact with at least a portion of the first sheet; (c) at least the first sheet having a memory wherein the sheet tends to roll up; (d) the first and second sheets forming a cylinder having a bore and a plurality of edge portions; (e) the cylinder being unfilled with a tobacco filler product; and (f) the unfilled cylinder being packaged.
Another object is to provide a device for preparing a tobacco product, comprising: a hollow shell having a central opening extending longitudinally therethrough, said shell being formed from rolled tobacco leaves, and a package enclosing said shell.
Another object is to provide a shell for a tobacco product, comprising: (a) a removable substantially cylindrical form casing; and (b) a shell body having a central opening extending longitudinally therethrough, said shell body being wrapped about said form casing, said shell body comprising tobacco leaves.
Another object is to provide a tobacco product comprising: (a) a first sheet; (b) a second sheet in contact with at least a portion of the first sheet; (c) at least the first sheet having a memory wherein the sheet tends to roll up; (d) the first and second sheets forming a cylinder having a plurality of edge portions; (e) the cylinder being less than about twenty five percent filled with a tobacco filler product; and (f) the cylinder being packaged.
Another object is to provide a tobacco shell product, comprising: (a) a sheet of tobacco-containing material; (b) a longitudinal bore defined when the sheet is formed into a hollow tube; and (c) the longitudinal bore being less than about twenty five percent filled with a tobacco fill product; and (d) a package of such dimensions to maintain the sheet in the formed configuration until the sheet and tube are removed from the package to fill with tobacco material.
Another object is to provide a tobacco shell product, comprising: (a) a sheet of tobacco-containing material; (b) a tube for receiving the material there around; (c) a longitudinal bore formed in the material when the sheet is wrapped around the tube; and (d) a package of such dimensions for receiving the wrapped material wherein the package maintains the sheet in the wrapped configuration until the sheet and tube are removed from the package to fill with a tobacco fill material.
Another object is to provide a fabricated cigar product, comprising: (a) a shell of material containing in part tobacco; (b) a tube for wrapping the shell of material there around to define a cigar shape; and (c) a wrapper, of such dimensions, for receiving the wrapped shell, and upon removal of the tube, walls of the wrapper maintaining the shell in the cigar shape until the tube is removed from the package to fill with tobacco.
Another object is to provide a shell for assembling custom-made rolls of tobacco for smoking, comprising (a) a sheet of combustible material which is at least partially coiled at rest and which has not been part of a previously assembled cigar or cigarette; (b) the sheet of material having at least two edges and a surface area located between the edges; (c) the surface area having an inner surface and an outer surface, and (d) wherein an edge of the sheet of material at rest extends along and adjacent to part of a surface of the sheet of material; and (e) the edges being separable, providing access to the inner surface of the sheet of material for depositing thereon tobacco products to be smoked.
Another object is to provide a shell for assembling custom-made rolls of tobacco for smoking, comprising: (a) a sheet of combustible material which has not been part of a previously assembled cigar or cigarette; (b) said sheet of material having at least two edges and a surface area located between said edges; (c) said area having an inner surface and an outer surface; (d) wherein the sheet is at least partially coiled at rest; and (e) said edges being separable to provide access to the inner surface of the sheet of material for depositing thereon tobacco products to be smoked in the shell.
Another object is to provide an apparatus including a pre-formed cigar rolling wrapper product comprising: (a) a coiled sheet of combustible material which can be uncoiled enough to add shredded tobacco therein, the coiled sheet not being formed by cutting open a pre-formed cigar and removing tobacco therefrom, and the coiled sheet having an outer edge being affixable against the coiled sheet after tobacco is added therein to form a cigar; and (b) a hollow package for holding the unfilled coiled sheet.
Another object is to provide a bore which is less than about fifty percent filled with a tobacco filler product, preferably less than about twenty five percent filled, and most preferably unfilled. The percent of volume of a bore filled should be calculated based on an uncompacted tobacco filler product being used to fill the bore volume.
Another object is to provide a tube volume which is less than about fifty percent filled with a tobacco filler product, preferably less than about twenty five percent filled, and most preferably unfilled. The percent of volume of tube volume filled should be calculated based on an uncompacted tobacco filler product being used to fill the tube volume.